HAITI TEAM FROM ATLANTA NEEDS 2 MORE VOLUNTEERS

TEAM TO HAITI FROM ATLANTA LOOKING FOR 2 MORE VOLUNTEERS

There are 2 open spots on a team to Haiti. The trip will be October 23-November 1 and will fly in and out of Atlanta. The cost is $1200 per person.For more information, please contact: Anne Forgey abforgey@knology.net256- 539-7367FUMC Huntsville, AlabamaNorth Alabama Conference

NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY; NEWS FROM THE ADVANCE FOR CHRIST & HIS CHURCH; STORIES FROM HAITI - CAL-NEVADA'S PHIL BANDY; TEAMS TO HAITI FROM THE WJ

UMVIMer and Haitian boy, brought together in the love of Christ.

UMVIM NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

NORTHEAST JURISDICTION- VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Costa Rica, Carillos:
2/9/11-2/20/11. Twelve-day Costa Rican UMVIM trip to help children and families gain the basic resources necessary for a healthy life. Ministry based in the Central Valley of Costa Rica and includes excellent accommodations. Spend five days on building projects and one day being the hands and hearts of Christ working with poverty stricken children at a feeding center in Los Guidos. Two-night excursion to Monte Verde; see a volcano, a cloud-rain forest, explore local shops and cuisine. Cost $1525, air travel from Chicago included. Deposit of $250 due 10/1/10. Balance due 11/1/10. For more information or to register contact Deb Bollig at Mauston UMC (Wisconsin Conference) 608-847-5964.

Haiti, Jeremie: 10/12/10-10/20/2010. Contact: Pat Grainger. A team from southern Michigan (Detroit Conference) will be working in Jeremie. We will be working at the Jean Wesly school and staying with Rev. Jean Lesly Dorcely, Jeremie Circuit superintendent. Team leaders are Pat Grainger and Keith Thomas. Curtis Bartz is our Haiti Michigan Coordinator.

Haiti, project TBA:12/27/10 - 1/3/2011. E'glise Methodist d'Haiti Earthquake Recovery. Team leader and contact: Karissa Ouren, Lake Harriet UMC, Minnesota Conference.

Nicaragua, Jalapa: 10/18/10-10/29/10. Contact Jon, 612-819-8877. Medical team, Interfaith Service to Latin America (ISLA) based in Minnesota Conference, needs members. Those with medical and construction experience preferred but all backgrounds welcome.

Nicaragua, Managua: 6/11/11-6/19/11. An UMVIM team will be working with the Fundacion El Samaritano, a ministry that our West Ohio UMVIM teams began working with annually in 1997. There may be some construction work. There will be interaction with students at two Christian schools and certainly ministry to women and children in public hospitals through giving of layettes, health kits and toys. We will visit community families and also do a number of Bible schools using hand puppets at various locations including at some Methodist Evangelical Churches of Nicaragua. Cost ~$1200. For more information and/or an application form contact team leader Jack Reif, 513-831-5550.

WESTERN JURISDICTION - TEAM LEADER TRAINING

UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) Training October 2nd
If are interested in serving as a United Methodist Volunteer in Mission (short-term mission volunteer) and/or leading an UMVIM team then this training is for you! Receive materials about insurance, cultural sensitivity, what to bring, how to pack, etc. that will make your mission trip a rewarding one for your team and those you serve. There will be a brief session during the training highlighting areas such as Haiti, Mexico, & Pakistan.

The training will begin at 9:30, October 2, 2010 at Pasadena First UMC. There is a $15.00 fee for participants that will cover your materials and food during our time together. Please register with Heather Wilson at umvimwj@hotmail.com or at 818-333-6730.

SOUTHEAST JURISDICTION - TEAMS NEEDED IN TENNESSEE

There is immediate need of both Early Response Teams to respond to the new flooding last week and Rebuild teams to address the growing list of active construction projects.Wayne, Wilson, Sumner, Macon, Jackson, Putnam, and Overton counties saw the most flood damage from recent storms. St. Mark's UMC has been working with Marvin Champion in Wayne county with a dozen homes flooded, several of them severally.

Friendship UMC quickly made flood buckets from our storage unit there available, in partnership with Cookeville 1st UMC who was mobilized as a Red Cross Shelter. Russ Cain is recruiting callers in the Cookeville District to help follow up on 50 potentially flood homes. They are working on assessments and collecting reports from other areas. It is unlikely this event will be large enough to warrant FEMA assistance, so even small numbers of survivors will mean enormous long term needs.While they have 40+ teams scheduled later in Sept. and Oct., they have a growing list of projects needing construction teams over the next couple of weeks and only a handful of teams. If you are close by and can put together a team, even if it is small and can only work a weekend, please contact Jason Brock ASAP at DisasterResponse@tnumc.com or 615-695-2765.

September Haiti Team Slots Open Up

Due to two unexpected last minute UMVIM team cancellations for the September 21-30 time period, the Haiti Response Project is in urgent need of at least one UMVIM team to fill these slots in order to continue work on priority projects. If you are able to help field or find a team to go to Haiti on this short notice, please let me right away. While a ten member team would be ideal, a smaller team is okay (at least five persons). Contact Susan Meister, US-Haiti Volunteer Coordinator


Medical Teams requested in Haiti

Haiti, Mizak: Haitian Artisans for Peace International (HAPI), Advance Special #3020490, is seeking an UMVIM Medical Outreach team for October or November 2010 and again for the same time period in 2011. Responsibilities would include clinic days and home visits to community shut-ins. Work alongside Haitian health care workers and nurse. Project funds would be used by team to purchase and deliver medications and medical treatments in Haiti. If interested, please contact Valerie Mossman-Celestin, 616-446-9558.

NEWS FROM THE ADVANCE FOR CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

10 projects in 10 days.

From October 10th through 19th you will be able to learn about Global Ministries' projects around the world supported through The Advance, the designated giving arm of The United Methodist Church, during an online event unlike anything you have experienced before. It's called 10-Fold.

Through live webcasts, streaming video, online chats, and other media, you will see and hear about amazing projects that are changing people's lives.To get more details, download the 10-Fold Participant's Guide that includes:Tips so you can get the most out of 10-FoldWays you can help spread the word to family, friends, and fellow church members and information about how you can trigger a $1.00 donation with one click when you visit 10-Fold.org daily and register your interest for a project. Up to $10,000 is available for each project. Check the website, www.10-Fold.org starting on October 10, 2010, for this online global gathering and to download the 10-Fold Participant's Guide.

STORIES FROM HAITI: NEWS FROM PHIL BANDY ON HIS TRIP TO HAITI

So Why Football?

The small group of visitors that had traveled to Haiti in May, 2010 were witness to the
aftermath of the quake there. I was there. We traveled to the village of Mellier, right
over the epi-center, where we spent a week living in tents among the locals clearing
rubble. There were kids everywhere. They were interested in us, but more interested in their football. It was a shabby thing with all but one of the white panels gone and sported a funny set of threads that made it hairy. The older boys were playing with it in the empty lot under the Mango trees next door. The younger kids played soccer nearby using a rounded chunk of concrete. Time for the balls we brought!

The first ball we pumped up and handed over disappeared - we never saw it “in play”.
But the second one we gave out did not disappear. Our interpreter spelled out the ball
was for everyone but had to be brought back when done. We quickly pumped up 2 more balls and put them in use too. What a site to see a match of just the girls and another with Jst the little kids and another with the older boys on three different lots at the same time. A the balls came back that day and every day after that. We turned these 3 balls and 4 ore new ones over to the school teacher when we left (school met weekdays under the trees,the older kids meet in the Unicef tent).

Other visitors have noted the importance of soccer in Haiti:
Blog: UMCOR Blog
Post: Be there. Be hope. The Football Factor
Link: http://mediagbgmumcorg.blogspot.com/2010/07/be-there-be-hope-footballfactor.html

I am headed back to Haiti September 1, 2010 taking 9 fellow California volunteers who each are to return with their own team of 10 people next year. We are the Volunteers in Mission of the United Methodist Church. We have had over 100 teams to date like mine visit Haiti with a projected number of 900 teams over the next 5 years.

We travel from all over the US and the world to rebuild schools.
My team carried soccer balls there in our suitcases and passed out just a few balls.
Another 6 teams of volunteers followed us back to the same village since then and I
suspect they too brought a few balls. With over a thousand kids in that village, that still leaves a lot of kids without a ball of their own when we move on to the next village. We will travel to over 50 villages in our plan. If only one ball per volunteer gets passed out, that is 9,000 balls that go directly into the hands of the kids (about 1 in 50 kids that we will meet).

I can imagine that each of these balls will create a smile at a time when it is very much
needed. I suspect each ball will each be a focus of friends playing together for years to
come. I hope each kid may remember at some point that somebody came there to say
they cared about them and gave them this ball as a symbol of that. I hope that they kick each and every one of those balls until all the panels fall off.
I cannot imagine a better use of some rubber and leather.

Philip Bandy
Interim Director Volunteers in Mission
California-Nevada Conference
United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 980250
1276 Halyard Drive, West Sacramento, CA 95798-0250
Office: (916) 374-1582
Mobile: (925) 808-8138
Fax: (916) 372-5544
http://www.cnumcvim.org/

TEAMS TO HAITI FROM THE WJ - WESTERN JURISDICTION

Phil Bandy, will be leading a team to Haiti Sept. 1, 2010. Please keep him and the team in prayer. Phil is the UMVIM Conference Coordinator for Cal-Nevada Conference.

Brenda St. Clair will be leading a team to Haiti in January 2011. Brenda is the UMVIM Conference Coordinator for Oregon-Idaho Conference.

MISSION TEAM TO MEXICO; URGENT REQUEST FOR TEAMS TO HAITI IN SEPTEMBER

Volunteer in Agua Prieta, Mexico from Central UMC, AZ.

MISSION TEAM SET TO SERVE IN AGUA PRIETA, MEXICO

Glen E. Allen, Executive Director of FaithWorks in Flagstaff AZ, is leading a medical mission trip to Agua Prieta, Mexico November 11-14. Check out details at faithworks4us.org. This is an ecumenical group and they sponsor a mission trip every month. For more information about serving in Agua Prieta, Mexico please contact Chris Spencer or Ken, UMVIM Conference Coordinators for the Desert Annual Conference, at chrisspencer@npgcable.com and kenth@eaccountable.com.

TEAM NEEDED IN HAITI - URGENT REQUEST

Due to two unexpected last minute UMVIM team cancellations for the September 21-30 time period, the Haiti Response Project is in urgent need of at least one UMVIM team to fill these slots in order to continue work on priority projects. If you are able to help field or find a team to go to Haiti on this short notice, please let Susan Meister know right away. While a ten member team would be ideal, a smaller team is okay (at least five persons).Susan MeisterUS-Haiti Volunteer Coordinatorhaitivolunteers@yahoo.com

TEAM LEADER TRAINING; UMVIM HAITI UPDATE

Team to Haiti, read what UMVIM teams are doing in Haiti towards its recovery....

TEAM LEADER TRAINING IN CAL-PAC

If you are interested in leading an UMVIM team, you are invited to come to the Team Leader training at Pasadena First UMC, October 2nd. It will be from 9:30-1:00. There is a registration fee of $15.00. Please contact Heather Wilson at umvimwj@hotmail.com to register.

UMVIM HAITI UPDATE

What UMVIM teams are doing for the Eglise Methodiste d’Haiti (EMH) earthquake priority projects can only be considered second and third and fourth mile giving! Each team of ten persons is asked to raise $3500 in project money which is then matched with $3500 from the money given to UMCOR for Haiti. Each team member is assessed $350 in project funds and all the trip costs associated with the teams …food, lodging, interpreters, transportation, etc... or $1400. This comes to an ~$1750 cost per team member, differences lying in the plane fare. At least half of this is spent while in Haiti, thus adding to their weakened economy. And UMVIM’ers donate 8 days of their time! And they work! And all the while they smile and thank God for the opportunity to serve!

SUSAN MEISTER, US-Haiti Volunteer Coordinator, has summarized the first 3 months of UMVIM activity for EMH earthquake projects. From May through July, 26 teams of 235 volunteers from around the country and one Caribbean team have donated their time and money to work on EMH earthquake priority projects. This comes to a combined volunteer donation of $411,250 for their efforts! Add the $80,500 incentive grant and the UMVIM Program has contributed $491,750 for EMH recovery through July!

All this does not include the many teams that continue to work on ongoing EMH projects across Haiti not affected by the earthquake area, and therefore not eligible for matching grants.

Between Feb. and July, at least 12 of these teams from the North Central Jurisdiction have served in Haiti. There are 2 more such teams ready to serve through 2010 and there are two Individual Volunteers scheduled to serve starting this fall.

We continue to give thanks for the dedication of these many men and women willing to serve through the UMVIM program in Haiti. The effort of each UMVIM team is of great importance to the overall recovery of the Eglise Methodiste d’Haiti (EMH).

UBUNTU WOMEN'S TEAM GOING TO BRAZIL - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

UBUNTU WOMEN'S TEAM GOING TO BRAZIL

Applications are now being accepted for the Ubuntu, Brazil Journey, scheduled for November 9-21, 2010 and there are 8 openings for United Methodist Women across the church. The trip is led by Jeanie Blankenbaker, former Assistant General Secretary of Mission Volunteers. The Ubuntu Journeys are supported by the Women's Division of The United Methodist Church and Global Ministries.

The objective of the journey is to build missional bridges between US and Brazilian Methodist women:

strengthening women's organizational capacity to be in mission with women, children and youth

creating an educational space for shared learning and leadership

exchanging of skills that enhance women's capability to provide for their families

witnessing the love of God for children and youth to grow into a life free of violence
l

earning the strength of people in the midst of economic and social disparities

Ubuntu Explorers will visit two State capitals and small cities and outskirts neighborhoods where the Methodist or ecumenical organizations have a mission presence. The journey will start at the Northeast Coast-Fortaleza, in the state of Ceara and end in the Southeast city of Guarapari, in the state of Espirito Santo.
The participants will have the opportunity to meet with Methodist women leaders at all levels-local, district and national. In Fortaleza, they will share leadership at a District women's training, while in Guarapari they will share their UMW experience at the National Assembly of the Brazilian Methodist Women Confederation.

Explorers will visit:

Local units, community and ecumenical organizations dealing with women's needs and rights

Play and have fun with children at the Shade and Fresh Water program-an after-school community program with children and youth at risk

Worship at Methodist churches on Sunday

Contribute to strengthen the mission capacity of Methodist women organization, which carries a legacy of the nineteenth century missionary movement

In all locations, the team will interact with local Methodist women and visit projects supported by the Women's Division and GBGM.

Cost is $3,500 exclusive of USA domestic airfare. For team member application forms and additional information you may contact Jeanie Blankenbaker at jbumvimny@aol.com or (843) 342-7092.

JOINT COMMISSION/HANDS ACROSS BORDER MEETINGS

MEETING OF THE JOINT COMMISSION/HANDS ACROSS THE BORDER

Greetings:

The next meeting of the United Methodist Joint Commission for Church Extension/Hands Across the Border will be held at Campo Nuevo Amanecer east of Tecate on September 10 - 11, 2010. We will begin with dinner at 6:00 on the 10th and adjourn after lunch on the 11th.

In addition to our usual business meeting, we will be discussing how to be in ministry to Latinos on both sides of the border. From Cal-Pac, our facilitator will be Emilio Muller, director of Latino Ministries. One of the pastors from Mexico will discuss the issues from the point of view of the Methodist Church in Mexico.

This is a great opportunity to learn from each other! It is no secret that the efforts of our denomination in California to be in ministry to Hispanics falls far short of reaching that exceedingly large group. We tend to think of ministry to Latinos in terms of a ministry in Spanish. Statistically, the bilingual and monolingual English components of the demographic are quite large. This is a chance to learn how to reach all of these groups.

In Mexico, many churches are small and struggling. We will be exploring how churches, on both sides of the border can grow their congregations.

Join us for this two day event. Mark down the dates on your calendars. More information will be forthcoming.

Blessings,

Murray Hawkins, President
UM Joint Commission/Hands Across the Campus
(909) 440-8586
murray@mexicomissionproject.org

CARE TEAMS TO GULF; HAITI JOB OPENINGS; FUTURE TEAMS; FLOODING IN PAKISTAN; UMVIM NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

Flooding in Pakistan. See what you can do to help. Photo courtesy, nydailynews.com.

CARE TEAMS TO GULF - OIL SPILL DISASTER

UMCOR and the Louisiana Annual Conference trained 128 clergy and laity to serve on Care Teams that will be sent to communities on the Louisiana coast that have been affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We expect to be sending teams for several months,” said Candy McCammon, Care Team supervisor for the conference. Teams will be sent to the British Petroleum compound to meet with oil spill response workers, and to community centers and local congregations to talk with those affected by the disaster.

Your gift to US Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670, helps UMCOR respond to this and other natural or human-caused disasters in the United States.

HAITI JOB OPENINGS

UMCOR has posted several employment opportunities to its website to help the organization advance its relief and development work in Haiti. Positions are open for a Livelihoods Coordinator; Shelter and Reconstruction Coordinator; and a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Coordinator.
For more information, please visit UMCOR’s Job and Volunteer Opportunities website.

FUTURE TEAMS

Carson City UMC Team to Guatemala: July 29 – August 8
Anita Shaul leads a team to Guatemala. She will serve with Warren Shaul, Day Williams, Robin Williams, Abby Williams, Nathanial Williams, Brenda Keller, Sharon Urban, Ben Swanson, Christina Reid, Madison Reid, Robert Jennings-Teats Tobin Volberding, Hope Hutchins, Brian Hutchins, Kristin Schlager, Brianna McCord, Nick Schlager and Hillary Schlager of First UMC - Carson City Maurine Williams of American Baptist Fellowship and Frank Cruz.

Concord UMC Team to Guatemala: July 30 – August 8
Doug and Betsy McLeod lead a team to Guatemala. They will serve with Rebecca Jensen, Michelle Kop, Susan Pintar, Suzanne Hargis and Silvy Puthukkeril of Concord UMC, Alison Berry, Alice Impraim and Wolf Meier of Alamo – San Ramon Valley UMC and Will Valdriz, UCBerkeley student.

Multi Church International Team to Fiji: August 12 - 26
Virisila Batiratu of Sacramento - Centennial UMC leads a team Fiji to continue construction work on a local school. She will serve with David Orland of Foothill - Federated Church, Nancy O'Bryon of Sacramento - St. Joseph Catholic Church and Don Kawashima of San Jose - Wesley UMC.

Kit & Relationship Building Team to Salt Lake City, Utah Supply Depot: August 15 - 20 Steve Elliott leads a kit building team to the UMCOR West Depot. He serves with, Kim Risedorph, Gabe Elliott, Becca Elliott, Coleman Johnson, Bobbie Johnson, Silvia Moon, Louise Nelson, Robert Smith and Carolee Smith of Livermore - Asbury UMC, Cynthia DeLand, Wendy Kenley, Doug Huey and Mary Ellen Huey of Lynnewood UMC, Donna Lindquist and Ginger McGuffin of Alamo - San Ramon Valley UMC.

FLOODING IN PAKISTAN

At least 1,200 people have died and 2 million have been displaced from their homes by the most severe flooding on record in northwest Pakistan. Tens of thousands of people remained isolated on rooftops awaiting rescue on Monday, as floodwaters destroyed bridges and roads, according to news reports.

Government buildings, businesses, thousands of acres of crops, and at least 29,500 homes have been completely destroyed by the floods that followed on the heels of extremely heavy monsoon rains that particularly affected Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Additional rain is expected this week, which could provoke more flooding and increase fears of the spread of waterborne illnesses such as cholera. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is reaching out to partners in Pakistan, including Church World Service, Muslim Aid, and the Peshawar Diocese of the Church of Pakistan, and preparing an initial grant to assist in relief efforts.

“We are praying for the people who have lost loved ones, are left without homes and livelihoods, and for those who are trapped and waiting for food and clean water,” said the Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey, UMCOR’s top executive. “UMCOR is committed to addressing their needs and especially reaching out to those who are most vulnerable.”

Please support UMCOR’s response to the crisis in Pakistan with your gift to International Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #982450. Please write Pakistan Emergency on the memo line of your check.

UMVIM NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

From the NorthCentral Jurisdiction:

MEXICO medical team needs pharmacist: Can you put the word out that we are desperate for a pharmacists for our Oct. 7, 2010 medical team to Nuevo Progreso. This is one of the safest border towns in Mexico. We have a pretty complete team EXCEPT for pharmacy. Help! More info, contact Rev. Jo Powers, 419 376 6017.

The next Russia Initiative Consultation will be held at the St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, April 7-9, 2011. The Crowne Plaza Hotel at 2945 Northwest Expressway will accommodate our participants at a special room rate of $95 per night, breakfast included. Bishop Hans Växby will deliver his address in the opening afternoon plenary on April 7. Thomas Kemper, the new general secretary of Global Ministries, will address the gathering in the morning plenary on April 8. Please protect the dates and plan to attend. The Eurasia Roadmap to 2015 will be the theme of the consultation. We are scheduling these major consultations every two years now, and it is important for us to come together and discern the future directions of the mission.